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🧩 How to create a Match Up activity

Rex Sabuga-a
  • Updated

The Match Up template is one of the most popular ways to test associations. It’s a clean, classic format where students connect two related items, making it perfect for vocabulary, definitions, or visual matching.

IN THIS ARTICLE:

How the activity is played

The game begins with a column of stationary "definitions" or "descriptions" and a bank of movable "keywords."

  • The student drags each keyword from the bank and drops it next to its matching partner.

  • Once all items have been placed, the student clicks the Submit Answers button at the bottom.

  • The system automatically marks the answers. Correct matches are highlighted, and incorrect ones are flagged.

  • On the final screen, students can review their accuracy and submit their time to the Leader board.

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Creating your Match Up activity

  1. Click "Create Activity", search for Match Up in the search box, and select the template.

  2. You have two ways to set the prompt:

    • Click "Generate with AI" and type a prompt you want.

    • Or simply type your own instructions into the activity title or instruction field.

  3. Enter Your Pairs: a

    • Left Column: Enter your Keywords (these will be the movable tiles).

    • Right Column: Enter your Matching Definitions or descriptions (these will stay fixed on the screen).

  4. You can upload an image for either the keyword or the definition to help visual learners.

  5. Click "Add new item" or press "Enter" to add another pair.

  6. Click "Done" to save your work.


     

  7. Scroll down to Visual style to add a creative style to your activity, or tailor the difficulty in the Options panel below the activity:

    •  Timer

      • None: No time limit is enforced, allowing students to complete the matching activity completely at their own pace without clock pressure.
      • Count up: Displays a stopwatch that tracks exactly how long it takes for a student to correctly match all the items in the activity.
      • Count down: Sets a strict time limit (e.g., 5 minutes). The activity ends automatically if the countdown clock reaches zero before all pairs are found.
    • Retries
      • Allow single retry after incorrect answer: If checked, this gives students one immediate second attempt to correct a mismatched pair before moving on.
      • Automatically proceed after marking: When enabled, the game instantly transitions to the next set of questions or screen the moment a match selection has been graded.
    • Matches per page
      • Use the slider to determine how many matching pairs are presented to the student at any one time. In the screenshot, this density is set to 5 matches per page.
    • Layout
      • Separated: Keeps keywords and definition targets structured cleanly into separate, distinct visual columns or zones.
      • Mixed: Scatters all item targets loosely across the screen space, increasing the visual sorting challenge.
    • Random
      • Different layout each play: Randomises the positioning of all elements on the screen every time the activity is launched, preventing students from relying on muscle memory.
      • Always the same layout: Locks the visual design and sorting order into a fixed position across repeating gameplay attempts.
    • End of game
      • Show answers: Gives students a comprehensive breakdown to review all the correct keyword-clue pairings at the conclusion of the activity.
    • Saving options
      • Apply to this activity: Saves these specific choices only for the activity you are currently editing.
      • More: Click this drop-down to find:
        • Set as default for template: Saves these settings as your "go-to" configuration for every future activity you create using the Match up template.
        • Revert to default: Clears custom changes and returns the options panel back to your previously saved personal defaults.
        • Revert to author's setting: Restores the activity parameters back to the original layout configured by the initial community creator.

Creating Match Up with AI

You don't need to be a prompt expert to use our AI. It is designed to be intuitive and accessible directly from the activity creator.

  1. Click Create Activity and select Match Up.

  2. Look for the ✨ Generate with AI button at the top right of the content editor.


     

  3. Enter your content:

    • Topic: Type a subject like "Vocabulary Definitions" or "Math Equations and Answers."

    • Text / Notes: Paste your lesson notes or textbook summaries. The AI will isolate the core terms and automatically align them across from their correct matching definitions or counterparts.

    • File: Upload a PDF or Word doc. Wordwall AI will analyse the text structure and instantly produce a balanced set of matching keyword-and-clue pairs extracted directly from your material.

  4. Click Generate. The AI will populate the two columns with the paired items. Review the created combinations, make any manual text adjustments if needed, and hit Done.

Need Inspirations?

Some examples of match-up activities have been created by our users and shared with the Wordwall resource community.

 

 

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